Simone Biles has raised the proverbial bar for gymnasts everywhere. Standing at just 4'8, the small but strong phenom has been hailed as one of the greatest gymnasts of all time—even before touching down in Rio. Credit the 14 world championship medals or the fact that she's the first woman to win four straight national championships in 42 years. Either way, one thing's for sure – her road to the Olympics is paved with quite a bit of gold.
RELATED: How Olympian Shawn Johnson Is Fighting Back Against Body Shaming
Biles' latest routines, at the Olympic gymnastic trials in San Jose, California, helped her easily secure a first place finish and a spot on team USA. Post-trials, the pint-sized powerhouse unveiled her new Tide Evolution of Power video, as part of the brand's #smallbutpowerful campaign. Despite the fact that 19-year-old Biles says her parents still do most of her laundry (aw!), the gold medal contender says she partnered with Tide because, "I feel like I'm small and mighty and pack a powerful punch, just like Tide PODS," she says. "Growing up it was kind of a struggle being small since everyone would make fun of you—except for when it came to hide and seek, that's the only advantage I ever had!"
But before she returned to training for the games, the 19-year-old sat down with us to share the biggest challenges she's faced so far, her daily workout schedule, and her next-level stretching routine.
RELATED: 15 American Women Who Are SO Bringing It to the Rio Olympics
At 4'8 you've earned the title, "small but powerful." How does it feel to serve as an example that powerhouse athletes can come in all shapes and sizes?
It's amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn't matter because you can do anything. That's what I love about how diverse our team is—we have such different body types, yet together we build the best team there is. I think we're stronger together than individually.
How are you mentally preparing for Rio?
We do pressure sets whenever we go out to the ranch. We have a 10-day Olympic camp, so I leave for that, and from there we head to Rio.
Whenever [U.S. national team coordinator] Márta [Károlyi] says 'guys we're doing beam today' or any event actually, you just have to get up and hit your sets. Márta motivates us to do our best, but she means business, so you have to just get up there and do it.
What are some of the biggest challenges you've faced leading up to the Olympics and how have you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges I've faced is truly believing in my gymnastics and trusting myself with some of the skills. I feel like I overthink a lot because it's just what we do. So once an event comes closer, even if I've hit sets for months, I'm like 'I can't do it anymore!' I just get a little bit nervous. It's a habit that I've had for years and it hasn't stopped yet.
In the morning, I usually get up between 7:40 a.m. and 7:45 a.m. and then I'll brush my teeth, do my hair, and just throw on my leotard and my clothes and go to the kitchen. I make breakfast, which is usually Kellogg's Red Berries or egg whites, and then I go to the gym that's only 10 minutes away. I have practice from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and then I drive home and eat lunch, which is either chicken or fish so I get the protein. I grab a quick snack and head back to the gym from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and usually have more routines. After that, I either have therapy at the gym or at home, and then I eat dinner and chill and do it all again the next day.
RELATED: 7 Fitness Classes That'll Train You Like an Olympian
How often do you infuse cross-training and strength-training into your program?
Last year we did cross-training. We swam twice a week—almost a mile! I swore I was going to drown, it was so hard, and then we would run. And the year before that we would bike 10 miles outside once a week. If we didn't bike, we would run a mile before practice, and as soon as we finished the mile we'd have to go inside and do a beam routine. My legs were absolute jello. But it got easier because the cross-training helped. This year we haven't done [cross-training] because we're just calming it down. (Feeling inspired to get your sweat on? Check out Women's Health's Ignite routine by Next Fitness Star Nikki Metzger!)
RELATED: 3 Non-Running Workouts That'll Help You Train for a Half-Marathon
Do you have a favorite strength-training move?
I like doing legs because those exercises come pretty easily to me. I have good, powerful legs, so I can do conditioning and they won't be too sore. But stomach conditioning, I don't like it at all! It's my least favorite. I like laughing better for an ab workout than actually doing abs!
Why is it so important to stretch regularly and do you have a go-to move that ensures your body stays healthy?
We have a routine that includes running and then a stretch for every part of our body. So we'll stretch before practice, but especially afterwards, because then you're tense and you need to stretch those muscles down. It's very important to keep your body flexible so that you don't get injured.
My favorite stretch is splits because not a lot of people can do them. And over-splits is when you put your leg up on a mat so it's higher—and it just looks cooler!
What pre- and post-workout snack and/or drink do you always have on hand?
Pre-workout I love drinking Core Power; it's a recovery drink. And then a banana and peanut butter because bananas have potassium, which helps with muscle cramps. And then afterwards, I like having a good fish, like salmon, and rice and carrots.
My gym bag is a mess right now! You would find my Smartwater, my Beats (by Dre), Chapstick, and deodorant. Also, right now you'd find my grips, which I use on the bars, and bungees for the gym. Then I usually have a jacket and my gym wear.
Do you have one favorite workout song that really pumps you up?
"This One's For You" by David Guetta. It's very emotional and I just like it.
Everyone is looking up to you as you head to Rio. What advice would you give to young girls who want to follow in your footsteps?
I would say to always follow your dream. And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I've accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here. So it just proves that once you believe in yourself and you put your mind to something, you can do it. I hope kids learn that and I hope they learn that you can be good at what you do and have fun.
What do you have going on after Rio?
We have the post-Olympics tour, the Kellogg's Tour of Champions. And so we'll stop around the country, making 36 stops, but we'll be on a tour bus and I think that's so cool!
